Sith-makar Open Meeting

Dur'ankar: Black scaled sith'makar w/some silver and gold scales

Orion: Massive muscular golden scaled male Sith'Makar.

Ssylrath: Green lizardman, short and wide, with a Swiftclaw.

Svarshan: Be a brightscale! Chomp a demon!

Just yesterday, the Empress had visited Mictlan.

Just yesterday, the Empress had blessed the joint efforts of the druids in Alexandria, and her people.

Just yesterday, the Empress had declared sith support for Dragonier.

Just yesterday, a Dranei spy had been captured on the parameter. He had spit on the sith's holy ground and frothing, called the lot dishonorable and the Dragoneri cowards.

...that was yesterday. Today, the grounds of Mictlan have a waiting feel to them. A number of guards stayed behind...not as many as accompanied /her/, oh no. But enough to say that the sith are somewhat concerned. These guards stay to the sides, wearing simple breastplates. Their swiftclaw mounts watch the forests.

A few shamans and priests talk to one side. It's fairly quiet now, but that's unremarkable. They're fairly well always present, here. It's just...

...the sense of waiting.

Svarshan rests near the fire. He's waiting too, by the looks of it. He looks disgruntled, and keeps looking off towards the west, where the portal is. His swiftclaw stands next to him. Oblivious, of course.

Ssylrath arrives on his swiftclaw Thaliss, both are tired and spattered with mud. He pats her on the nose as she settles down to rest away from the activity of the guards and then strides towards the fire where he levers himself down to the ground with a sigh. "The ssspy on the other end of the device is caught, it was a Lucht artificer. Ran through ssswamps." He starts removing sections of his armour one by one.

Orion arrives to the meeting place, he has been out of the loop on things and decides this would be the time and the place to catch up on the latest news as well as meet others of his kind, "Greetings, I am Orion, Paladin of the great Dragon god Daeus."

Dur'ankar walks his way back into the clearing and slowly lowers himself next to the fire. He seems to be only a little weary as he warms his scales, but nods his greetings towards Svarshan.

"...lucht. And artifisse." Svarshan looks up at Ssylrath to be sure he'd heard correctly. Either way, he looks distracted, and looks over towards the west again. ...and takes a deeper breath. "Lucht," he repeats. "Working for the Dranei," The words are as slow as ever. Svarshan hasn't had an easy time of words for some time.

Beside him, his mount looks up as Thaliss approaches. Her eyes narrow, sizing him up. The head swings around when the gold-scaled sith arrives though. She stares, and Svarshan slowly stands...he doesn't seem to move fast, either.

"Sa. Greetingss in the. Name of the Ancesstors. May the. Father Dragon sspread hiss wings over you." Slow, halting words. Svarshan thumps his tail in greeting, though, and the words seem heartfelt. "Another of the. Father'ss iss always. Welcome. Svarshan Kotharrventin, alsso of the Ffather." He thumps again to greet Dur'ankar. "It iss good to ssee you. Orion, thiss is. Dur'ankar of the warriors." He means the warrior caste.

Ssylrath removes an armguard and looks up at the even newer arrivals. He speaks draconic in his harsh voice. "Ssylrath Beastfriend of the Aseketus tribe, Knight of Peace and follower of the Green. I greet you, Orion, and welcome to Mictlan." He nods to Dur'ankar as well.

Dur'ankar nods his head to Orion. "May the flames keep you warm." he says formally to Orion. "Dur'ankar, I am. Warrior Caste." He also thumps his tail in a friendly greeting towards Orion and Ssylrath. "Saa.....Good it is to see so many on this side of the portal."

Orion nods to Ssylrath "Thank you for the warm welcome Sslrath." He then gives a slight nod to Dur'ankar now that he knows his name, "Yes it is good to see brothers whom I have never met before."

Svarshan rubs at the side of his jaw. He looks quiet and thoughtful for a while. "We will. Ssee many more, I ssuspect. The Empress...her coming here..." his voice trails off in wonder and he stands there a while.

Takes a sudden, slow breath and gestures towards the fire. "Come and. Sshare fire with us. The Empress' visit had an. Unexpected..." he falls silent and searches for the right words.

Words.

Takes a deep breath, instead, and looks to Ssylrath in hopes the beastfriend can explain it.

Ssylrath attempts to translate. "While the Empress wasss here speaking with the dragonrider a Dran spy was caught with a device of artifice that sssend any words he heard elsewhere." He points away from the city. "The device was... changed by sssome here to track where it was sending and I went with others to find the other end. A Lucht artificer was caught and brought back to be quessstioned."

Orion follows Sslrath advice and moves closer to the fire, he now listens to the latest news about the spy. He does not have much to add so he stays silent for now.

Dur'ankar says, "Ssssssso.....a softskin decided to play at being predator.....and became prey through decccccception. They lack......instinctssssss of a true predator.""

"Ssa." Svarshan thumps his tail, and then retakes his seat. He looks across to Orion a while, quiet. It's evident he's turning over words, turning over thoughts. Choosing some, selecting others.

Words.

Damn it.

"Ssome of them. Are talented. I thought sssimilarly when. I first arrived. But it has been years." He falls quiet after that, and looks across to Ssylrath. "The foolss are the Dranei, who ssee the world. Ass prey. I ssuspect." ...words. /Words/. He closes his eyes, and is silent a while.

...at length, he reaches down and draws in the earth. It takes shape--forming a gaping maw. Wolf's jaws. Caracoroth. "They act as. Driven by Him," he says. And he's quiet again. Quiet...and then looks to Orion. "I looked into the. Sspy's heart. It wass as dark as. Shadows." As though Orion might know what he meant.

Ssylrath nods at Svarshan's words. "The lucht was jussst paid I believe, he sssurrendered when we caught up." He flexes the claws of one hand pensively. "Dran is... misguided. They do not underssstand their true foe is Heth."

Even though Orion is new to the group, he does recognize him being briefly silent is throwing off the feel of the meeting, after looking over the wolf jaws drawn in the earth Orion speaks up. "While it is great to be updated my brothers, where do we go from here. Are we waiting on more information to be gathered? Or is there some action that we can take."

Dur'ankar is quietly listening.....and eating a little bit of meat by the fire. Looks like rabbit.

Svarshan falls silent on it and looks towards the west again. For a moment? His features look raw and aching and he appears to lose track of things for a time. For just a moment. For...

...he gives himself a shake. "They want to punissh. A nation that iss already dead. ...their words are an. Excusse," slow, wry. Worried. Flat.

He looks off towards the west again, and then his fist hits the earth. Hard. And then, a second time. When he speaks up, his words are calmer. "The knight. Originally fought to sstop Dran'ss expansion. Dran iss expanding. Again. ...Dragonier'ss children are sstarving. It iss an excuse." He looks at Dur'ankar then, and at the rabbit. It's such an apt metaphor he has to stop and just stare for a moment.

Dur'ankar looks at Svarshan as he looks at his rabbit. His answer is a rather blunt one in return....

He belches.

Ssylrath nods. "The Empress has allied with Rune againssst Dran. We fight to end the war ssso that Heth can be stopped." He pokes the fire with one claw.

Orion briefly wonders if he has been with the mammalians too long as he does not understand his brothers actions or response to his question. However this is who he is and it would take a lot to change him. He does nod to Ssylrath words.

Svarshan half-grins at Dur'ankar's belch, then thumps his tail once, after Ssylrath speaks. ...his next words are wry. "Will it alwaysss be. Like thiss, do you think?" he asks the beastfriend. His shoulders are still tense. It wouldn't hurt to hit the ground, again.

Ssylrath shrugs out of his breastplate. "The Green is, the details change but the essence remainsss. There is always conflict, always the strong kill the weak, it is how the world isss."

Dur'ankar looks directly at Ssylrath, his gaze rather fierce. "Not always, brother. More than one kind of strength, there is. Are little ones not weak when they emerge from eggs? If the weak always fell to the strong, there would be no point in nests. Great power comes great responsibility, or so the saying goes. That is why we protect our nests....."

Orion shrugs, "That may be the case of how the world is, but just because that is how it is does not mean that it is right. At least we have the alliance to see to it that such a thing does not happen here or to the Am'shere." He does nod to Dur'ankar words.

Svarshan is quiet a while longer after that. He reaches down, and pushes a charred log back into the fire. The central fire is a large one--just like the type seen in many sith's homes. Warmth, food, and a reminder of heritage, it serves so many purposes.

The log begins to crackle.

"I ssent my mate back to Am'sshere," he says, suddenly.

Ssylrath grins toothily. "Nessstlings have the strength of their eggtenders until they grow, that is also in accord with the Green. Those who have strength use it as they choose to protect what they value. We fight Dran and protect Rune because we see value in it."

Dur'ankar looks to Ssylrath. "We protect Rune because there is more value in Rune than in Dran." He then shakes his head. "Do you see value in Dran?"

Orion warms his hands by the fire one last time then stands up, "Sadly I am needed else where, it was good meet you all. I do hope to meet all of you again soon." Unless someone tries to stop him Orion walks off.

Orion has left.

"I ssaw the Dragonier hatchlings," Svarshan says. The words are cut off with a snap of his jaws, a clack of teeth...anger, that. He lets it hang there, then. The anger. It hangs in the air like a living thing, almost palpable in its intensity. An expression without the use of words.

He nods as the goldenscale stands, and walks away. ...and then looks over to Dur'ankar, his expression thoughtful as he looks from the beastfriend to the warrior, and back.

Ssylrath nods at Dur. "Of course I see value in Dran, they will be needed to defeat Heth! They are a mighty army that is merely badly led, the warlord wastes their strength in a diversion from the true threat, Dragonier."

Dur'ankar says, "Cut off the diseased head and replace it with a more reasonable one." Then a look to Svarshan with a light rumble in draconic saying 'The anger is not worth it now...', before looking back to Ssylrath. "Those that are strong, should challenge the weak, and encourage them to become strong themselves, not to become prey. Even a rabbit......" He says holding up the last remnants of the rabbit he was chewing on. "....can become strong, if backed into a corner. strong legs, fast, claws......""

Svarshan twitches at the look and then relaxes. He finds a place to lean against, there near the bonfire. "Sso we. Take the head of the. Beasst," he says. Then, "Arendt will be guarded. We would need to forsse. His hand."

The fire crackles and glows there in the evening.

Ssylrath nods at Dur'ankar. "Everyone should find their ssstrength, the Green is conflict because that letsss everyone reach their full potential or die trying."

It's clear Dur'ankar doesn't agree with Ssylrath's view of the world, but Dur isn't going to argue the point anymore. "I am sorry you had to send her back to Am'shere, Svarshan." He says patting his shoulder. "Until this....weak dragon has been destroyed, they are safer there. Arendt will be gaurded by those that believe he is right. Prove Arendt is wrong and his own guards may remove him for us."

Svarshan rubs at his jaw as the words continue. He falls silent, listening to the two converse, and the words shared over the fire. Now and then, he looks to the west. And then forces himself back to Alexandros. He really only has one thing to add, though: "It isss odd. To think of Am'sshere being the. Ssafer place."

Svarshan has left.